The Divided Church

 A Divided Church

 1 Corinthians Chapter 1

 As we begin our look into the First Book to the Corinthians, we also meet the Apostle Paul.

 We know that Paul was the writer that the Holy Spirit used to preserve these words for the Church of today.

 Why was this letter to the Corinthians needed?

 1) To remove divisions in the Church and bring the Church back as "one" Body of Christ.

 Was Jesus Christ ever divided in His teachings? No. And neither should the Church at that time, nor should the Church be divided today!

 2) To deal with immorality that was entering the Church from this immoral world.

 3) To answer any questions the Church might have, because this was a church filled with baby Christians. They needed to grow in Christ.

 Every “New Born” Christian needs to spend time in discipleship.

 The Lord Jesus spent three years with the Apostles and three years with the Apostle Paul in discipleship training.

We all need to be discipled!

 The things that happened in Corinth are things every church has to contend with in this wicked and immoral world.

 This city had a large population of people coming from all parts of the world.

 Most ships traveling from the East or from the West would stop at Corinth.

 Most roads of commerce crossed at the City of Corinth.

 This made the City of Corinth a wicked and corrupt city.

 Corinth became an intellectual and cultural center as well.

 All these things together made the City of Corinth a potential place for worldwide missions.

 If a church could be established in Corinth, the Word of God could spread all around the world.

 This place first needed to meet the Almighty Living God!

 This church at Corinth was established, and like all baby Christians, they needed discipline.

 Paul began as a gentle shepherd over his flock and moved on to greater things.

 1Co 1:4  I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 

1Co 1:5  That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 

1Co 1:6  Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 

1Co 1:7  So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

1Co 1:8  Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 *****1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

 Every Pastor, Preacher or Priest is called to be a brother to all other believers and the Apostle Paul used the word brother when he was addressing this church.

 We all have the same Heavenly Father, and we all are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, and we all are filled with the same Holy Spirit, and we are all to have the same Word of God, and it is time that the Church to unite around these things, for we are in the last of days.

 We are not better than anyone else in this world, but we can say we are better off only because our names are written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

 If your name is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, you are already a saint of God and set apart for the Lord.

 The true Church belongs to God!

 The false church belongs to the Devil!

 Isa 48:11  For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: "for how should my name be polluted"? and I will not give my glory unto another. 

 No one can approach God but through the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who think they can be are still lost.

 If you feel like you have lived your life good enough for Heaven, then you are self-righteous and still lost, no matter who you are.

 Super-spirituality and pride have no place in the House of God!

 We can only be in the Church because of the Grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

 God's "Grace" is the free gift of God, and God is extending His "Grace" out to all who will accept it today!

 The Church must be unified behind these truths today; these truths will never change!

 This message must be tender and full of love!

 The word "beseech" means, come let's share these truths together.

 Our faith binds us to the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and not the things of this world!

 Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

 We must approach each other with the "love of Christ".

 We will never agree on everything in the Church, but we must hold the truth of Jesus Christ in our hearts!

 Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

 We cannot allow the teachings of this world to tear us apart when those teachings go against the truth of God.

 Everyone must repent from the teachings of this world about salvation, which this world knows nothing about.

 We all must be in the same mind, as we will all be judged by the same Word of God!

 *****1Co 1:11  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 

 The word contentions here mean strife, the struggle that had become violent along with quarreling.

 These are works of the flesh.

 There was no peace in this church in Corinth!

 When men divide the Body of Christ, then it is Christ who bleeds; Christ is not divided.

 This Chloe was probably a lady in Ephesus, from where Paul wrote this Epistle, because we know Paul would never have mentioned the name of a member of the church in Corinth.

 She is probably a Christian, maybe even the wife of Stephanus and possibly the mother of Fortunatus and Achaicus.

 1Co 16:17  I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. 

 Or Paul got this information from one of her slaves, but not from her.

 If we are seeking glory other than the glory of the Lord, we will never find it because it does not exist!

 There will be a perfect union in Heaven for all God's children, and division here on earth could cause some not to get there.

 If we are to live a true Christian life, we must draw upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the same for every Christian.

 The unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ are at our disposal.

 Each and every one of us is called of God, but not to cause divisions or strife inside the Church or outside the Church.

 When news of a divided church reaches another nation, then the testimony of that church will not be good enough to win souls.

 Our one job is to win souls for Jesus Christ. if we have problems, then the first place to seek help is the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Mat_6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 Next, we should seek an audience with our Pastor.

 *****1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 

1Co 1:13  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 

 I think we have the greatest church in our area, and for certain, we have the best Pastor.

 Most of us cannot wait to hear the message God has given him at every service.

 Occasionally, he will take time for rest, or he will preach in some other place of worship or for some other reason, but if the congregation finds out that he will not be here the size of the congregation will shrink because someone else will preach.

 In many ways, this is Pastor worship rather than the worship and praise of the Almighty God.

 We come to Church to praise our Heavenly Father and to worship Him in Spirit and Truth, no matter who is preaching the message of God.

 If we trust the Lord, then we know that person will also preach a message that God has given to them, and those who did not come because our true Pastor was not there, miss out on that message.

 Is this not the same thing that Apostle Paul is saying here in this Scripture.

 Jesus Christ is not divided, and these things must never divide our congregation.

 We are all going to have differences of opinion from time to time, but we all have the same Word of God, and we all strive to get to our true home in Heaven.

 There is only One Heaven!

 We cannot bring the Lord Jesus Christ down to the level of man!

 We all know that we must have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ to get to the Glory World, and again Our Lord Jesus is not divided in fact, He is very blunt when speaking His own words which we see in Red letters.

 I am certain that we all have our favorite teachers in our church.

 If we say we belong to Jesus Christ, then we had better act like we do!

 We can never place our Lord Jesus at the level of ordinary teachers, even if they are our favorite Preacher or teacher.

 Every believer belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, if not, then you are not saved!

 We do not know everything about our Savior, we only know what the Holy Spirit decided we needed to know to get us saved.

 John 21:25  And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

 The God of the Bible is unlimited in knowledge and power, and I just want to be close as I can to Him in His house.

 The closest I can get here upon this earth is in a Bible believing Church with a Bible believing Pastor!

 These are things we will get to know over the next million years when we join Him in Heaven.

 We need to agree on the salvation plan of Jehovah God, and then, we can discuss those places where we differ from one another without them dividing us.

 Sometimes we just have to agree to disagree while keeping our relationship with our Savior sound!

 It is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that unifies us, all of us.

 Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

 The Church is a long way from what the Lord says here in this passage today!

 The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and we had better keep that straight in our minds!

 There is only one Head of the Church, and there is only one Church, and this Church is to follow the One Word of God!

 We are to be Christians because we follow the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that He did, so we can be saved.

 Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, "which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them".

 If we say we are liberals, or Catholics, or Baptists, or of any other title, then our parting spirit is sin!

 We are all to be Christians!

 There is only One who was crucified for our sin, the sin of us all.

 We all have the same mandate: Matt 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

 *****1Co 1:14  I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; 

1Co 1:15  Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. 

1Co 1:16  And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 

1Co 1:17  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

 It was for this very reason that Paul did not like to baptize new Christians. He agreed with Biblical Baptism with all his heart, but he did not want to be put on some pedestal for baptizing the most people or have the most converts.

 Paul said if we in any way make the Lord Jesus less than the Head of the Church, we are striving toward the death of the Church.

 We all have a calling of some manner in the Church so. Let’s do what the Lord called us to do!

 1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 

1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many. 

1Co 12:15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 

1Co 12:16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 

1Co 12:17  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 

1Co 12:18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 

 There is a place to serve for every member of the Church!

 Paul said: he was to preach the Word of God which are the Words of Wisdom and not preach the wisdom of words.

 Divisions in any church cannot be resolved by words of human wisdom. The cross alone is the answer to a divided church!

 *****1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

 There are only two categories of people in this world!

 1) Those doomed to perish.

2) Those who have been saved from perishing.

 As the years pass and we get older, we get closer to the grave and Hell or we are getting closer to Heaven, the Glory World.

 We are never just sitting still! We are perishing or we are saved.

 We cannot say "being saved" because it is a finite event and is eternal.

 Perishing means to be in a lost state in the world that comes after death. Hell is a real place, people!

 1) Salvation is a once-for-all experience meaning once we have been saved it is then in the past and unchangeable and we can live the rest of our lives at peace with God.

 Luk 7:50  And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

 2) Salvation is a continuous experience. It occurs right now, in the present.

 The verse we are on right now, verse 18, " For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God".

 3) The redemption experience of our salvation is still in the future.

 Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 

 Those who reject these things are not very wise!

 *****1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 

1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 

1Co 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:  

 Mankind seeks to conquer evil through science, technology, and the religion of human effort.

Mankind tries to conquer nature, disease, suffering, corruption and death and we never had this power and never will.

 As a people, we want a life that is full and free, but we want to dictate how we want it.

 We always want to stand on the mountain and say, "Look what I did".

 Most of this world is just not willing to live by the Word of God and what Jesus Christ has said.

 Science has not brought love, joy, and peace, but only to a few foolish people.

Technology has not brought love, joy, and peace to anyone.

Good works only make us self-righteous.

 The first thing we begin to understand about Jehovah is that He loves us enough to provide a way to save us.

 He has offered up the perfect sacrifice for us.

 On that cross, the Lord Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself, and then He took our punishment for having sinned upon Himself.

 Jehovah sacrificed Himself for us, and through this sacrifice, God saves us!

 Those who want to approach God by some other means will always fail because this is God's plan.

 The leaders of this world have never tried to solve the world's problems of sin and evil because it is just too prosperous for a few rich men who pull the strings on national leaders, and today on local leaders and our government become corrupt and refuse to change.

 Only the cross has the power to change the hearts of these men.

 There are some truly smart people in our world, but they spend their time on things that cannot change our world and make it a better place.

 The cross is the wisdom of God, the way God has chosen to save this world and to save those who have faith that he can do as He promises.

 If this world were to turn to the cross just to see the perfect demonstration of love and sacrifice, then this world would be a much better place.

 All our leaders know how to do is inquire and argue. We see it played out every day in our Senate and in our Congress and nothing gets done because they love corruption too much.

 It is the same in most of every nation.

 Even the Jews want to see some great sign from God after they have already seen and read about all the great things God has shown them.

 Even as they have just had their fiftieth birthday as a nation, they refuse to believe that it was Jehovah who caused this to happen.

 Isa_66:8  Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

 The next sign this world will see is the sound of the trumpet and the Church leaving this world.

 The Jews still stumble over the truth of Jehovah!

 *****1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 

1Co 1:24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 

1Co 1:25  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 We should understand that what we teach about the Lord Jesus Christ is the reverse of what the Jews and the world demand.

 Instead of a Messiah as ruler of all the earth, triumphant over all His enemies, we teach how a condemned criminal is our Savior and soon coming King and LORD.

 Christians teach that our one argument is the death and then the life of the Messiah.

 Isa 8:13  Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 

Isa 8:14  And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

 Jesus Christ is the power of God!

 The Jews and many in the world feel like they are the chosen seed of God, and they reach God because they have a godly heritage.

They still believe that they can be good enough to be acceptable to God.

 They believe that if they work hard enough, they can bring the Kingdom of God to this earth.

 They believe that the Golden Age of Earth is still in the future.

 The truth is, we can never be good enough to be acceptable to God.

The penalty for our sin had to be paid for by the perfect sacrifice of God's Son.

That we trust in that sacrifice.

That true belief in God's Son gave all He had to save this world for eternity.

 When religion looks upon the ugliness of the cross, the ugliness of sin, and suffering instead of glory, they are repulsed.

 Who are the blessed of God? Mat 11:6  And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 

 The world continues to stumble over the simplicity of the cross, but the world is missing the message of the Cross.

 2Co_11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

 It is the Cross of Jesus Christ that God's way is wiser and stronger than the way of religion and the way of man!

 This is why Christianity is by faith and not by religion.

 Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

 ***** 1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 

1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 

1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 

 Which group of people does God save?

 Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

 Our faith must lie in the fact that our life must be governed by a will that is far above this earth, and we receive the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us.

 My Pastor has said many times that we receive the Holy Spirit for our employment and not for our enjoyment.

 It is the Holy Spirit of God who does the calling.

 Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 

 It is the Holy Spirit who remains with us throughout eternity

 Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

 It is the Holy Spirit who will make our old bodies live again in glory.

 Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

 We are called according to God's purpose for us.

 Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

 God does not call many who are dependent upon themselves, we would say self-righteous.

 God calls simple and humble people.

 Those who believe they can save themselves may not be called, or at least God will not waste much time on them when He already knows what they will do.

 God's calling is not arbitrary and not without reason.

 God knows who will accept Him and who will not.

 God has a reason and a purpose for everything He teaches us!

 God smiles every time one of His nothings nullifies the somethings of this world.

 God has given each one of us the free will to decide or reject Him.

 If we are arrogant enough to think we do not need God, then He will not help us.

 God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to save those who know they cannot save themselves.

 God saves all those who want to spend eternity with Him in His House.

 Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

 *****1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence. 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 

Not many simple and humble people will boast about anything.

The truth: 

1) Man will never be able to control sin and evil in this world.

2) Man will never be able to bring peace, assurance, and control to the human heart.

3) Man will never bring eternal life beyond our few short years upon this earth.

We have nothing to brag about and no right to glory in the things we do!

God's wisdom is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are nothing to God unless we are "Born Again" in Jesus Christ.

By the fact that the Lord Jesus arose from that grave to show us the power of God it becomes wisdom to follow in His ways.

It is by God pouring His Spirit into us that we can know the truth.

He is the Spirit of Righteousness, which means He knows no evil and by His power we can be sanctified which is working our way toward Holiness.

The Lord Jesus paid the price that God required for our sin, and if we believe in this, we are reconciled to God.

The entire work for our salvation is of God.

Our only work is to accept this great gift of God, so if we glory, let us glory in the Lord!

Amen

Becoming Dead to the World and Alive to Christ

 Dead to the World

 Book of Galatians Chapter 6 Verse 11 through 18

 We have spent this entire Winter quarter in the Book of Galatians. This book is one of the best in the New Testament and clearly explains that salvation is by God's " Grace."

We know the letter's purpose to the Galatians was to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Grace.

 Some Judaizers had infiltrated the Church claiming to be Jewish Christians and were teaching a double error.

 1) They taught that a person is saved partly by faith and partly by works.

2) They also taught that a person grew in Christ partly by faith and partly by his own effort.

Both of these things are wrong!

 They taught that a person had to believe in Christ, but he also had to submit to the rituals of religion which was circumcision.

 We could compare this today to what some require for church membership, baptism, and other requirements today.

 No one has to observe all the ceremonies and rituals of religion to be saved!

 Paul taught that we are saved by our faith in Christ and Christ alone, which is the absolute truth.

 What Paul did not say.

 Paul never says it is wrong for Jews to be circumcised because it is not.

Paul never said it was wrong for them to keep the Law or to observe special festivals because it is not.

 What Paul said is that these things have nothing to do with salvation and they do not!

 Customs and practices may differ, but salvation by faith never differs!

 There is only one way to be saved, and it is by the "Grace" of God!

 It is the Book of Galatians that stirred up Martin Luther and the Reformation.

It is the Book of Galatians that gave John Wesley peace of heart that he knew the truth of salvation.

 The Book of Galatians has moved many great men of God to a better understanding of the Gospel, and it still works today in the Bible Believing Church.

 The Churches in Galatia were at the point of deserting God, but Paul's letter to these churches made them steadfast in the Grace of God.

 *****Gal 6:11  Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. 

 In most cases, the Apostle Paul would dictate his epistles to a scribe who would write down the words that Paul had said.

 It is possible that Paul would dictate to someone who was more familiar with the Greek language than he was.

 It seems here that Paul took the pen from the scribe and wrote it himself.

 1) Paul wanted to boldly emphasize the points he was making. Many of us today use capital letters to do the same.

2) Some believe that Paul could not write very well, but Paul was a well-educated man and this is unlikely.

3) Many believe that Paul had some problem with his eyes some kind of blurred vision.

 It could be one of these or none of these reasons Paul wrote this epistle himself.

 We know that Paul wanted to emphasize this message of Grace and to verify that he was the Author of this letter.

 Paul wanted those Judaizers to know it was he who called out their hypocrisy!

 Why Paul wrote in large letters is unknown except we know he was led by the Holy Spirit.

 We all need to pay attention to what is written in the Book of Galatians.

 This is the first of the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Church.

 If Paul wrote the Book of Hebrews which I believe he did, he would have written fourteen of the Books of the New Testament.

 *****Gal 6:12  As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 

Gal 6:13  For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 

 If you see false teachers on the TV most of them are well dressed and they make a good impression.

 It was no different for these Judaizers many of them were Pharisees.

 We all want to make a good impression!

 If we take a look at those who have a false message today, we will see that they seek worldly popularity, and they brag about the riches they say God has provided when in fact they have stolen from the poor and the vulnerable of this world.

 The Apostle Paul unmasked those who taught a false message to Christians.

 The Lord Jesus was really blunt at such people: Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 

Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 

Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

 Any man of God who begins to seek worldly popularity will change the message of the truth of Jesus Christ and twist the Scriptures to gain a following.

 They will not take a stand on the truth of God.

These false teachers were afraid to teach the truth because of persecution that would come from their fellow Jews.

 As many found out during that time, persecution caused the Gospel to spread even more and it does the same today.

We should understand that these men were men of the Church and a great example for us today that we all must stand against the message of false teacher and false preachers and not be afraid.

 The truth will always be the truth, and no false teacher can change that.

 Many of the earliest preachers or priests were men who saw Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. However, they accepted Him only as an addition to the Law and they were wrong.

 Today many false teachers just say that God can make mistakes, and they are more wrong than these Judaizers were.

 Even today it is unpopular in many places to proclaim that Christ alone is the way to God and God's New Heaven.

 These people need to realize that God will not be mocked, and His Word is the greatest truth in this world!

 In the day of Paul, those who preached the Cross of Christ were said to be destroying established religion and this is God's intention.

 Religion cannot save anyone!

 It took real courage for the Apostles and other great men of God to stand up for the truth of our Savior and most of them were murdered or locked in jails.

 Remember Paul who was beheaded and John who was placed on a deserted island, but the truth of God just keeps moving along at God's pace and God's will.

 How many today go along with false religion? Billions of unknowing people are shielded from the truth of Christ.

 How many in the Church are afraid to preach the whole truth because it might affect their pocketbook and their bank account?

 The Bible is specific there was only one person in the history of Judaism who morally fulfilled the Law and it was Jesus Christ!

 Why? Since the time of Adam, we have inherited his fallen nature.

 1Co_15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

 These false teachers just like those of today wanted recognition through the appearance of a growing ministry.

 I have said it before the truth of a growing ministry is not in numbers but is in growing closer to Christ Jesus.

 Those who grow close to Christ will reach out into this lost world with the truth.

 We are not to strive to be accepted by the people, we are to strive to get closer in our relationship with Jesus Christ.

 False teachers do not impress God at all, in fact they will suffer the wrath of God!

 *****Gal 6:14  But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 

 God forbid that we should boast of anything but the Cross of Jesus Christ.

 There is no other approach to God accept by His Son Jesus!

 God accepts us only, if we come by the Cross.

 It is at Calvary's Cross where my sin was washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ!

 There is no other way to be acceptable to God!

 1Co_1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

 When people cannot see the truth, it does not mean it is not right in front of them.

 It is the Cross of Jesus Christ that destroys all self-righteousness and boasting!

 It is in deepest humiliation we have to admit that the Lord Jesus had to die in our place.

 We have to reach that place in life when we realize we are guilty of death, but the Cross of Christ saved us by the Grace of God that we are so unworthy of.

 Until you realize that Christ died in your place you will not meet our wonderful Savior!

 Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins, and He was raised for our justification, and by this, we can have a changed life and be "Born Again" into a new life that has not death.

 It is this truth that saves lives!

 The Cross was an instrument of Christ's crucifixion, and my flesh was crucified with Him.

 We can now say that the world has lost all its worldly charm and attraction and we as Christians have lost our appetite for this world.

 Nothing in this world will last very long and will soon fade away.

 Something new is only new for a few days then it is old.

 There is nothing upon this earth that is eternal!

 We now know of a place that is full of the glory of God, and this is where our home is located.

 Our Lord Jesus came to this earth to die in our place.

 The Law offers nothing but death!

 The Cross offers nothing but life everlasting.

 What really is in this world?

 1Jn_2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

 We cannot brag about any of these things because they are worthless, and the Holy Spirit will remind us of this daily.

 These are the diseases of this world that have no remedy, but that Jesus Christ came to heal!

 Jesus Christ came to make us new creations!

 *****Gal 6:15  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

 Paul has already taught us: Gal 5:6  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. 

 So, faith worketh by love and this same faith and love makes us new creations of God by His Son.

 Paul also wrote: 1Co 7:19  Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 

 These commandments are not of the Law but the commandments of Jesus Christ.

 Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment. 

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

 This new creation is the change produced in our soul by the operation of the Holy Spirit!

 We leave the state of nature of this world and into a state of "Grace".

 Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

 Those not created in Jesus Christ cannot enter into God's New Heaven.

 Again, nothing makes a person acceptable to God except God's very own Son!

 How does using the name of Jesus make us live forever?

 First God knows who is sincere and who is not. God cannot be deceived!

 When we are sincere in our faith, God will give us a new Spirit.

 God actually places His Divine Nature, the presence of His Own Spirit, into our life.

 We are then "Born Again Spiritually".

 2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

 *****Gal 6:16  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. 

 This is how we receive the peace of God that no one else understands.

 Php_4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 This is how we can walk in this life understanding the true mercy of God.

 When we walk by the rule of the Cross we will seek to live as a New Creation of God because, we are a new Creation of God.

 Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

 Now Paul says the true Church is the Israel of God.

 It is through the Church that God will fulfill His promises.

 Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 

Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

 Rom 9:6  Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 

Rom 9:7  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 

Rom 9:8  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 

 Hos 1:10  Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. 

Hos 1:11  Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel. 

 Over and over again we see it is those whose faith is in the promises of God who are the true Israel.

 We should be steadfast in the Gospel because it is the truth of God!

 *****Gal 6:17  From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. 

Then Paul asserts that through the power given to him as a duly commissioned Apostle of Jesus Christ and a tried and tested servant of His Heavenly Master, he had fully discussed the matter of the Law and Grace that he had nothing else to say about it.

I know if you study this great writing of the Apostle Paul, you should be clear that we are saved by Grace through faith, and there is no law above this.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Some things we know that the world ignores are:

1) The creation of the world is designed to reveal the glory of God.

Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

2) The vastness of Heaven and the beauty of the earth reflect the glory of God.

3) God's sovereign act whereby He predestined all believers to salvation is to the praise and the Glory of His Grace.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 

God is glorified in the display of His unconditional "Grace"!

Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 

When the Lord Jesus said we must be "Born Again", He was speaking of the creating power of our God.

In fact, the regenerated Christian is probably the only thing that God has created since Chapter 1 in the Book of Genesis.

Our Lord Jesus died and raised again on the third day because of the predetermined plan and the foreknowledge of God even though a wicked world was responsible for His death.

Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 

Act 2:24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 

Even though God has decreed these things, we are still responsible for all our sins, and it is by Grace through faith that we can be forgiven.

Grace is still the unmerited favor of God!

Psa 145:8  The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 

Psa 145:9  The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. 

*****Gal 6:18  Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. 

In conclusion Paul said he will have no more attacks on his ministry nor the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

These churches in Galatia and their people needed to repent and get rid of those false teachers.

It is still the same for every church today.

We cannot ignore the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved.

We cannot ignore the Grace of God and be saved.

We cannot ignore our faith in the truth of God and be saved.

Amen

Don't Give Up on God

 Do Not Give Up Doing Good

 Book of Galatians Chapter 6 Verse 1 through 10

 We should understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to help our brothers and sisters in Christ or in fact anyone else.

 We must stress this point at all times!

 We are all still sinners at least as long as we are in these bodies of flesh as Paul has pointed out.

 We all suffer the same passions and at times someone of us is always overtaken by sin.

 How we approach a fallen brother or sister is of great importance!

 It is sometimes a very delicate matter!

 That one who has fallen may be sensitive or even embarrassed and easily shamed for giving into their flesh.

 It is these things that may not allow this brother or sister to return to the Church.

 He or she may even feel like he or she is unwelcome, and we must never allow this to be our intensions.

 Unless this person is approved in the right spirit they may never return to the Church.

 We must understand that a ministry of restoration, is a ministry of God and should be a ministry of the Church!

 This is a ministry that God has called us all to take part in, for any of us could fall at any moment.

 *****Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 

 A wise man said: "A word of Love is more potent than any argument".

 That word "brethren" reminds us that Paul is speaking to saved people.

 If we see one of our brothers or sisters in violation of the Law of God, he or she is not immediately our enemy!

 They are still our brother or sister in Christ.

 We all know how hard it is to fight with this flesh and win every battle.

 None of us will win every battle with our flesh!

 There may have been some in the Churches of Galatia that had fallen from the "Grace" of God, none of us live perfect lives.

 That word "overtaken" gives us the idea that someone had fallen back into sin.

 It was not deliberate, it was not planned, it was a mistake they had made.

 Paul was not speaking of faults in doctrine, but a mistake through weakness of the flesh.

 Jesus said to His disciples: Mat_26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

 Sin is like an addiction, and it is hard to break free from any addiction!

 We may not know the problems of our brothers and sisters, unless we show them love where they may trust us enough to speak with us.

 Why did the Lord Jesus come to this earth?

 Jesus came to restore God's children back to a relationship with our Creator that had been lost by Adam.

 Why would we ever refuse to attempt to restore one of our brothers and sisters in Christ, yet many in the Church would say good riddance.

 This is not what the Lord Jesus Christ taught when He walked upon this earth.

 We all brag about the Scriptures of the Apostle Paul has taught us and he taught a restoration ministry.

 The job of restoration is often neglected in the Church.

 We tend to pretend that the sin never happened or we tend to react too harshly towards that person.

 Those who are Spiritual are those who show the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives and in the Church.

 Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

 It is those who show that Spirit of Gentleness that the Lord Jesus showed to all He met who have the best chance of reaching that backslider.

 Then Paul says we need to understand there is a possibility that we could be drawn into that same trap of backsliding, and we need to be prepared.

 One such thing would be that we could be so full of pride that we can manage every situation that we ourselves fall, but it includes the same temptation our brother or sister has fallen into.

 The Bible says: 2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 

 *****Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 

 Remember the law of Jesus Christ is love!

 Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 

Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

 It is love that caused our Lord Jesus to hang on that cross and die for each of us!

 Jesus Christ bore the sins of everyone who has ever lived!

 Now we cannot bear the sins of anyone, but we can bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters!

 We can first forgive each other! We must understand that sin that made this person fall from Grace was a sin that Christ died for.

 Again, what did the Lord Jesus teach us?

 1Jn 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

 *****Gal 6:3  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 

 We should understand to be Christian is to be like Jesus Christ. There is no other reason to be called a Christian or to say you are a Christian except you are trying your best to be like Jesus Christ.

 It is Jesus Christ Himself who told us to bear one another's burdens!

 It is Jesus Christ Himself who told us to be forgiving!

 It is Jesus Christ Himself who told us to love one another!

 To neglect to do these things is to set ourselves above Christ our Savior.

 God came down to earth in the flesh to humble Himself and die for our sins, so how can we say we will not humble ourselves to help a brother or sister in need.

 No Christian is better than any other Christian.

 None of us can stand before God unless we are wearing the "Righteousness of Jesus Christ"!

 There is no place in the Church for feeling superior or spiritually better than others.

 Mat 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 

 We need to do a self-examination to see for ourselves if we possess the right qualities to help a brother or sister in their time of need or we could make things worse.

 *****Gal 6:4  But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 

 We need to do a self-examination of our own selves comparing ourselves to Jesus Christ and not to some other member of the Church.

 We need to understand our own conduct and our own understanding.

 We are to examine and judge our own lives, not the life of that fallen brother or sister.

 Again, Jesus says: Mat 7:3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 

Mat 7:4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 

Mat 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

 If we are to deal with a backslider, we need to make sure we are not hypocrites!

 Criticizing and judging others is a sin!

 We cannot help anyone unless we have a pure conscience ourselves.

 It is a great joy knowing that we are pleasing God by the way we walk in this life.

 2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 

 *****Gal 6:5  For every man shall bear his own burden.

 None of us can escape from our own moral responsibility!

 We are personally responsible to the Lord for our own behavior and we shall be judged for what we have done.

 We know when we meet the Lord in the air it is a judgment for rewards, and it will be to our own shame if we do not receive any rewards for the things we have done in this life.

 If we do not periodically examine ourselves, we can never overcome any faults that we have!

 If we spend our time observing the failures of others and not the burdens of our own failures, we will never be able to help anyone in their time of need.

 Rom 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

 2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 

 We must understand that every child of God is a student who sits at the feet of the Master learning how to be like Him.

 *****Gal 6:6  Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. 

 We can go up and down the hallways of our education building and we will find good teachers, but I do not claim to be one of them.

 I know if I listen to the Holy Spirit, I can try to get His message across in this classroom and this is what I try to do.

 Between myself and my class we should aways be able to discuss the things that I teach.

 Here in this Scripture, we see the Holy Spirit speaking directly to the learner who is also a believer.

 This passage speaks more to the Pastor than it does to the classroom teacher.

 These same things apply to both.

 If you want to be good to the teacher:

 1) Be present when the teacher teaches.

2) Be attentive and learn what the teacher teaches.

3) Share in discussion of what the teacher teaches.

4) Pass on what the teacher teaches.

5) Participate in the ministry of that teacher.

6) Support the teacher.

7) Encourage others to learn.

 Again, this passage is referring to the Pastor of the Church who must also be a good teacher.

 Thank goodness for our own Pastor here at Gethsemane.

 Teaching is a vital part of the New Testament Church.

 Members of the early Church devoted themselves to the teaching of the Aposltes.

 Act 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 

 The Apostles taught the doctrine of our resurrected Christ.

 Act 4:2  Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 

 They taught as they had opportunity.

 Act 5:21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 

 Act 5:25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. 

 Notice being locked up in prison did not stop the Apostles.

 At that time the city of Jerusalem was saturated with the teaching of Jesus Christ and His atonement.

 Act 5:27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 

Act 5:28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. 

Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 

Act 5:30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 

Act 5:31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

 The heart of the message of the Apostles was that our Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

 Act 17:2  And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 

Act 17:3  Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 

 It is teaching the truth of Jesus Christ that will bring the Church to maturity.

 Act 11:26  And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. 

 The goal of the Gospel is to make us all look more like Jesus Christ.

 Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 

 This teaching is to be taught until the Lord returns.

 2Ti 2:2  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 

 We are not to forget the Scripture but continuously teach the Gospel.

 Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 

 This the purpose of our classrooms to teach Jesus!

 God knows the truth of every Pastor and every teacher.

 In fact, God knows the truth of us all!

 *****Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 

 In the secular world few people are as important as the teacher.

 Its the same for the Church.

 We should understand that every Pastor should also be a good teacher but few teachers will ever be Pastors.

 Teachers in the Church are also very important, especially those who teach the children.

 The truth of the Gospel is the most important message in this world!

 The Pastor has responsibilities because he is called of God.

The Teacher has responsibilities because he or she is to follow the pastor's lead in teaching the truth of the Scriptures.

The student also has responsibilities to the teacher and to the Church.

 In the Bible believing church the true Pastor, is one who accepts the truth of the Gospel and the Apostle's Doctrine which is the Doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 The teachers in that church are to follow his lead and teach the truth of the Scriptures.

 The student then honors the teacher and the Pastor when they share the ministry of the teacher.

 In the churches of Galatia many of the members were being deceived about facing the judgment of God.

 They were being led astray by teachers with a false message.

 They were failing to share in the ministry of the Apostle Paul and shared the false message of Judaism.

 Judaism is a religion; Christianity is based upon a personal relationship with Jesus Christ they cannot be intermingled.

 These false teachers were turning their nose up at God who had told them of this New Covenant, but they were rejecting it.

 These teachers were rejecting the teaching of the Apostle Paul, so they were not teachers at all.

 They were church terrorists plotting the downfall of the Church of Jesus Christ.

 When we attack the true Pastor, we are mocking God who called that Pastor into service.

 The lesson these men learned at their death is that God is not mocked for whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap.

 God is very clear those that reject the message of God will be rejected by God.

 When our Pastor preaches the truth of the Scriptures, and that message is rejected by those who hear it then they will stand before God and answer for that rejection.

 If we do not listen to the warnings of the lust of the flesh, then we will reap the lusts of the flesh.

 Those who reject the message of the true Pastor will worship as they desire.

 They will seek some form of the truth somewhere else.

 They will refuse to pray.

 They will live as they please.

 They will strive against the true Church.

 They will reject all the Law of God.

 They will seek the things of this world.

 When we allow our flesh to lead us rather than the Holy Spirit we will see the wrath of God.

 The flesh ages, dies, and then it decays.

 If we sow to the flesh then we will age, then die, then face the judgment of God which he spells out so vividly in the Scriptures.

 It does not matter what the world says, it only matters what God says!

 True teachers teach the Word of God just it is written, and these lessons must be learned by us all.

 God will not be mocked and there is no escape from His truths!

 Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

 Job 4:8  Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. 

 If we sow to the Holy Spirit who lives in every believer, we shall reap life everlasting!

If we listen to God's saving message, the Gospel, the Holy Spirit will implant the Divine nature of God within the heart of each believer.

 This is how we know and accept the fruit of the Spirit.

 This is how we will live forever with God in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

 Joh 3:36  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. 

We know it has been close to two thousand years since the beginning of the Church Age, and we must be patient until the Church Age reaches its fulfillment.

Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 

Jas 5:8  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 

It may seem like an endless task sowing faith and hope, but we must not lose heart!

God is going to reward all those who have such patience!

There is just too much truth in the Scriptures for it all to end in nothingness.

The timing of all these things in is God's hands but the season of sowing is in our hands.

*****Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. 

God has given us this opportunity to earn rewards.

We should not be waiting for opportunities to develop but making them happen.

We should not be waiting on an opportunity to do good, and we should show kindness to all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Someone in the Church always has a need!

We must stay alert and not be weary if we want to receive a full reward.

We are responsible for our own family first.

We are responsible to our Church family next.

We are responsible for the lost next.

Heb 13:16  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 

Amen

The Privilege of Being in the Family of God

 The Privilege of Adoption into the God's Family

 Book of Galatians Chapter 4 Verses 1 through 20

 Our lesson does a great job of presenting the truth of Faith and the Grace of God and being adopted into the family of God.

 All our lessons have been good this quarter.

 I may go a little bit differently today as I usually do.

 We know some churches of Galatia were teaching that a person could be saved by the Law, the Law being the Laws of Moses.

 You know that title itself should tell us that the law was lacking.

 The Bible is best stated as the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

 These churches had allowed some Judaizers to come in with a false teaching and they had turned from the teaching of "faith" by the Apostle Paul.

 They now felt they could be saved by being good, doing their best, and being religious.

 Being religious means people who have given themselves to religion and are so influenced by it that they are different from the world.

 Christianity means we are a follower of the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ by faith!

 Christianity is a personal experience with our Savior!

 We should all do our best to be good according to the Word of God.

We all should be faithful in worshipping God and in a good church.

 We must not think this is the means of our salvation!

 The Bible is very clear and forceful, that doing these things does not save a person!

 When we get alone with God, “are we” speaking to Him as a maturing Christian or as a baby Christian?

 He knows what we are and none of us can be perfect until we meet Jesus when He returns, and He will return!

 If we ever want to get to Heaven, we had better know that we must be perfect, and perfection only comes with a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

 In the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, He explained the big difference in just obeying the Law and the truth of God.

 There is a big difference between obedience and holiness!

 The big difference in being a Christian is, “we do not need a written list of laws because we have the Holy Spirit living within us” and He will put His laws in our minds and write them down in our hearts.

 Heb 10:15  Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 

Heb 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 

Heb 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 

Heb 10:18  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 

 In the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the perfect conception of love, and this is what He wants from us.

 *****Gal 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

Gal 4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

 Under Roman law, a child was an infant until they were seven years old and were a child until they reached the age of twenty-five.

 During this time a bondservant would be the one to teach that child or be responsible for taking that child to the tutors or a schoolmaster.

 During this time, these children “had no say so in the affairs of their father” even though they were heirs to whatever their father owned.

 In this, they were no different from a bondservant who would never be an heir.

 Only after maturity does this person become a true heir and then lord of that property of his father.

 Even if that father no longer lived that guardian or governor would direct that heir until he reached the proper age, and the heir had no power to make those decisions concerning his inheritance.

 The father could and would determine that period of time before that heir had the authority over his own inheritance!

 We can see that even though this son was an heir and a future lord, he was no more than a slave until that time set by his father.

 Caesar had ruled that under the Gallic tribes of Galatia, the father had sole power of life and death over his wife and children.

 *****Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

 There was a time when the entire world was under bondage to one nation, or another as described in the Book of Daniel.

 Daniel 2 Verses 37 through 44.

 To the Jews, this bondage meant the sacrifices, the rituals, and the sacrifices of the Old Testament that directed all the facets of Jewish life.

 It meant philosophy and the traditions of men, and their teachings.

 It meant the ordinances, rules, and regulations of men, including the oral law.

 It meant all the laws of the Old Testament.

 It was impossible to keep all those old laws.

 Act 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

 Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

 All things of religion will choke the life out of Christianity if we allow it!

 The elements, of the world mean the things of this world that we use to get right with God and try to secure the favor of God.

 This also includes anything we can use to justify ourselves to God, anything we can do through our own efforts, and we will never get close to God doing these things.

 But there came a time when God decided it was time to change the things that brought us under bondage to this world.

 *****Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

 The fullness of time here represents the time that our Heavenly Father decided to begin the Church Age and end the Age of the Law as the schoolmaster.

 The Age of Grace began.

 Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

 We can say the fullness of time is the time appointed by God and was foretold by the true Prophets of God.

 We should know by now that Jehovah God is in control of all the things in this world.

 This world lives every day under the providence of God!

 God's preserving and governing of all, by means of second causes.

 Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

 The Lord Jesus Christ is the glue that holds His creation together!

 When the first part of our Savior's work was completed, He went back to His throne in Heaven until the Church Age reaches its fulfillment and then He will return.

 Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

 There should be no doubt that we are in these last days.

 The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to deliver this world from sin!

 This was His sole purpose, and He completed that work.

 Today Jesus Christ walks “in our bodies” until He returns to Redeem us.

 Jesus was not some angel!

 The first coming of Christ was not by chance!

 Jesus Christ came in the timing set aside by God the Father!

 He did not come one day early, and He did not leave one day late. He is always on time!

 Jesus Christ was born of a particular person, at a particular time, in a particular way, and under a particular system, the Law.

 Jesus was subject to the same system in which He came to save all the world from it.

The world had been specially prepared for His first coming!

 The Law had done its work.

The world was full of spiritually starved people ready for a change.

The world was at peace under Roman rule.

The world was under the Greek language making communication possible no matter where you went.

The Romans had built roads everywhere making travel easier.

 God's messenger, John the Baptist, was in place.

 Mar 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

Mar 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Mar 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

 Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

 Why did Jesus come? He came to redeem God's people!

 God's people are all those who have "faith" in the work of Jesus Christ!

 Every believer becomes the adopted sons and daughters of God!

 *****Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

 When we trust in the work of Christ for our salvation we receive the Holy Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit.

 Paul asked these Galatians: Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

 These people knew they had never felt the presence of the Holy Spirit until they heard the preaching of the Apostle Paul.

 Because we have the Spirit of Jesus living within us, God looks upon us as His sons and daughters.

 What is the first thing we should do?

 2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

 We cannot allow the remnants of our past to influence our new life!

 That unclean thing is what is called an idol.

 As we come out from the world we begin to meet our true family, the family of God.

 As we have learned earlier, the Holy Spirit is somewhat like a downpayment on our eternal life, until Christ returns to take us home.

 We become heirs and sons because of our faith in Jesus Christ and the Grace of our heavenly Father!

 1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 Then the last time will be the day of the Rapture of the Church, the end of the Church Age.

 Chapters 2 and 3 and the first verse in Chapter 4 of the Book of Revelation.

 The word adoption means to place us as God's sons and daughters, and He will never release us back into this wicked world.

 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 For many days now, we will be telling ourselves we just want to go home.

 Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

 We are no longer servants to this sinful world.

 *****Gal 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

 I believe every one of us agrees with this verse.

 There is no God but Jehovah who can change one thing on this earth!

 When we look back on our old lives before our faith in Jesus, most of us do not like who or what we were.

 We may have had knowledge of God, but we did not know Him in a personal way, and this is what God wants from us, a personal relationship.

 We did not know life until we met Jesus!

 We served the false gods of this world until we met Jesus!

 Many of us worshipped that almighty dollar because the things of this world are only idols.

 Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

 We were in bondage to the things of this world.

 Now we know better so, why in the world would we ever want to go back into that lost world?

 *****Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

Gal 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

 It is a privilege to know the truth of God, a privilege we had better not abuse.

 We should also understand that God knew us before we were even born on this earth.

 In some places in the Bible, it shows that God talks to us while we are in the womb of our mothers.

 God will not do for one that He will not do for another! Only He knows what is best for us.

 It is a humbling fact, that God cared enough to send someone to us to tell us about Jesus and the Gospel.

 There is nothing in this world that can give life.

 Heb 7:18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

Heb 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, “but the bringing in of a better hope did”; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

 The Apostle Paul is not condemning the observance of these things but teaching them that God will never justify them for observing these days.

 Bondage to these things forfeits the liberty of the Gospel!

 We are not bound to observe any ritual of any church.

 The only things Jesus said for us are Baptism and the Lord's Supper, but even these things cannot justify us.

 We do these things because our Lord did these things, and He said to follow Him.

 So, we follow Him in Baptism, and we partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him.

 Paul knew that these churches in Galatia were about to turn back to the Law and Paul was doing His best to tell them how foolish this was.

 Every religion in this world is a religion of works!

 People trying to please their god making these religions, religions of works.

 The only thing that pleases God is "faith" in the work of His Son for our salvation!

 Once we decide that we need to do something to make God love us, we are headed for trouble.

 Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

 We are walking a dangerous path when we turn our backs on God!

 When we speak to some in the church who seem to be losing their faith, we must remember they are still our brothers and sisters in Christ and the children of God.

 *****Gal 4:12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.

 Paul has not been too harsh to these churches because they are still family notice the word brethren.

 This is an example for us all. Our own Pastor preaches hard, and some may not always agree with the message, but we had better remember that he is a minister of God called to preach the messages God has given him by the Holy Spirit.

 He is also a brother in Christ who is in the same family as all God's children.

 If He does not preach God's message, then he will answer to God.

 If we do not listen to that message and apply it to our lives, Jesus may remind us of that when we meet Him in the clouds.

 Every message is real when it matches what God has said in the Scriptures.

 We do not have to abide by any message that goes against the Word of God!

 Paul was being criticized for his messages of truth when it was the Judaizers who had the false message.

 Even now Paul did not treat them as his enemies.

 Paul assured them that they had not injured him, they had only injured themselves.

 God gives us this time after our salvation to earn rewards given to us when we get to Heaven.

 These rewards are far more than the promised Mansion and eternal life.

 We can even be blessed as we witness for the Lord Jesus Christ here on earth.

 God has all these things in mind when He sends a message to our Pastor for him to preach to us.

 *****Gal 4:13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.

Gal 4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Gal 4:15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

Gal 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

 Even on a bad day when our pastor is feeling bad, he will always give us the truth of God!

 Our Pastor is never ever our enemy!

 Paul had a physical affliction that bothered him from time to time and he asked the Lord to remove it, and the Lord said to him, "My Grace Is sufficient" for it to overcome your weakness.

 When a true man of God is preaching full of the Holy Spirit, God's power to him will overcome all his deficiencies.

 It is the message that is important, not the physical condition of that man of God!

 When Paul first came to these people he was welcomed with open arms.

 It was the legalism of the Judaizers that made things change.

 This is what a false message does. It will cause friction in that body of believers.

 Many a church has split for these same things.

 1Ti 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

 Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Tit 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

Tit 3:11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

 Verse 15 also hints to us that the physical problem that Paul had was with his eyes.

 The people who reject the truth of Jesus Christ are outside the church.

 We are not to hate them, but we must know this fact and witness to them if we are able.

 Notice it said if you have witnessed to them at least twice then you are not obligated to go that person a third time but someone else can go.

 It was the Judaizers who were religionists who were Paul's true enemy and the enemies of the Church!

 *****Gal 4:17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.

Gal 4:18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

 Notice Paul did not mention names. Everyone present knew who Paul was referring to.

 Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

 All those who pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ are false teachers!

 We must always be on guard and reject false preachers and teachers.

 These Judaizers were very zealous in their work, trying their best to reconvert as many of the Jews as they could and convert any Gentile to Judaism who listened to them.

 They did not care if they got saved or not.

 Their goal was to stop Christianity in its tracks.

 Most of the world is trying to do the same today but this is impossible!

 The very first thing they will try to do is to discredit that Pastor (preacher) who teaches the truth.

 False teachers try to focus people on the law, work, effort, rituals, sacrifice, and rules.

 False teachers reject the Grace of God.

 Today false teachers claim some imaginary powers that they do not have and work for the money they can get from those who trust them.

 Today God does all healing without the help of some mediator.

 The power of healing belongs to God Himself and He does this work through prayers!

 The true preacher seeks to focus people on this Almighty God who gave us a plan for salvation.

 It is His plan and there is no other plan than His that will work!

 God's plan works only through the Lord Jesus Christ. These are His conditions, and we must not question His plan!

 The Lord Jesus said: Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

 Jesus also said: Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

 Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

 Those who deny the truth of Jesus Christ are all antichrists!

 2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

 *****Gal 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

Gal 4:20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

 We as a church should welcome those Evangelist and Missionaries who preach the truth and in our church our Pastor makes this selection, and this is the way it should be in every Gospel church.

 There is only one Gospel!

 The true preacher seeks only to help believers.

 The true preacher considers all believers as his dear children.

 The true preacher will guard the church from error.

 The true preacher’s heart is tender and warm, protecting and providing for the church.

 Most people think of a growing church as one that adds many new members, but the truth is a growing church is a church growing in its relationship with Jesus Christ and His Heavenly Father who becomes our ABBA Father

 Nothing else in this world is more important than our relationship with our Savior.

 These are the same ones who are God's children!

 Amen.

God Is My Father

 The Schoolmaster Is No Longer Needed

 Book of Galatians Chapter 3 Verse 19 through 29

 As we read these Epistles to the Galatians, we can ask why the Laws of Moses were then given.

 We know there were teachers in the Galatians church who taught that a person must be justified, and we must.

 1) They taught that if that person did the very best he could and honestly tried to obey the Law of God and do much good then he could be justified.

 2) if that person practiced religion, by keeping all the rituals, keeping all the ceremonies, keeping all the rules of the church, then he could be justified.

 3) If he submitted to the basic ritual of the church, circumcision, church membership, baptism, and whatever else they thought of, they could be justified.

 None of these things are bad things, but keeping these things will not justify anyone in the eyes of God!

 Only the Lord Jesus Christ can justify any individual!

 The Lord Jesus said you could wrap up all the 613 laws of the Jews into two laws:

 Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

 Then Jesus said:

 Jhn_14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jhn_15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

 It is only by love that we can show our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

 It is only by love that we can show we truly believe in the Son of God!

 When we truly love someone, we would never do anything to harm them in any way, and we would listen to what they say.

 It is in our believing, truly believing, in the work God's Son has done for our salvation, that we can be justified!

 When everything in this world goes sour, our faith must remain in the Lord Jesus Christ who died, so that we can live.

 If we cannot believe that God has everything under His control,  we will never trust Him.

 This is where our faith kicks in.

 The fundamental act that saves anyone is “faith” in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 What is the will of God for every individual on this earth? It is the will of God that all mankind be saved.

 1Ti_2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 This is why the Devil tries to keep us at odds with one another.

 God the Father accepts our faith for righteousness just as He did Abraham.

 1) The law was given to make us aware of sin.

2) The law was only temporary.

3) The law was not given by God, but through a mediator, therefore it is inferior.

4) The Law has no power to give life.

5) The law declares that the whole world is a prisoner to sin.

 The law is usually a designation of the law God gave to Moses.

 1) There is civil law which is given for the responsibility of neighbors.

2) There is the ceremonial law which legislated Israel's worship life.

3) There is the moral law which we call the Ten Commandments.

 It is the Ten Commandments which God identified as God's timeless standards of right and wrong.

 In all the Jews had 619 laws covering everything in their life.

 We must understand that it is by "Sound Doctrine" that we will see life-changing behavior that is based upon love.

 1Jn 2:10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 

1Jn 2:11  But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 

 1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 

 We know that love has just about left our world, and this world has become a place where lust dominates people's behavior.

 Eph_2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

 This is easy to see, and abortion is the result of lust.

Lust is the power behind all immorality!

 We need to take these things seriously for without love we see nothing, but compromise and we just cannot compromise the truth of God with the ways of this world as we see going on today.

 Just how do we know that by the Law no one can be seen as righteous?

 *****Gal 3:19  Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

 1) The law condemns so it cannot give life.

2) The law was temporary commencing with national life of the Jewish people.

3) The law was not given immediately, like the promises to Abraham, but by mediator, Moses, in the presence of angels.

4) The law was a contract between God and man, with life depending on the total fulfillment of its terms and not like a promise.

 The law was added but not to interfere with God's Promise to Abraham.

 Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 The law was only the knowledge of sin!

 Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 

 That sin could appear as sin! Most people know what sin looks like even if they will not admit it.

 Rom 7:13  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 

 The strength of sin is the law!

 1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

 The law was not given to restrain or to punish sin, nor to show us how evil this world has become.

 The laws are given to show us that evil is already in this world and is very active in this world.

 If our politicians would only understand this, they would go back to the Ten Commandments to make us aware of just how wicked and evil our world is today.

 We already know that "seed" which was to come, is in fact, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah.

 Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

 The seed of Abraham is the same seed of the woman! It was no accident that both of these passages use the same singular form of the word seed.

 We can also say that the seed of the snake, who was taken over by Satan, will show up one day as the Antichrist which may not be far off.

 In fact, he may already be on the scene. We should also understand that Satan has had a wicked individual ready from day one because he does not know what day the Lord will return.

 We could name off all sorts of wicked and evil men, but we all know this is true.

 1Jn_2:18  Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

 1Jn_2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1Jn_4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2Jn_1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

 The law was ordained by angels:

 Deu 33:1  And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 

Deu 33:2  And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. 

Deu 33:3  Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. 

Deu 33:4  Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.

 This was the teaching given to all the Jews:

 Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 

Act 7:52  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 

Act 7:53  Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. 

 Of course, we know that this was Stephen, and these Jews picked up stones and murdered a great man of the early church.

 The Apostle Paul was aware of what happened to Stephen because he was an eyewitness though he never threw one stone.

 Paul did not know for sure if this same thing might happen to him.

 Gal 2:2  And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. 

 The leaders of the Church in Jerusalem were solid in their convictions, as was the Apostle Paul and we must be the same.

 The law was added because of transgressions, till the "seed", the Messiah, should come.

 Once the Messiah came the law was to be set aside!

 Now the perfect life that Jesus led is our model on how we are to live because only the Lord Jesus had the willpower to keep all those laws in what was referred to as "The Law".

 We know that the Law is still in place for all the unbelieving world!

 *****Gal 3:20  Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

 The fact that the "giving of the law" a mediator was needed marks the nature of that transaction as a compact entered into between two parties.

 The law came from God, but it was given by angels and then from angels to mankind.

 Deu 33:2  And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. 

 Act 7:38  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: 

 A Mediator implies that there were two parties God and man.

 Then Moses became that mediator between God and man.

 The law was given secondhanded, but not the promise of God.

 When mankind broke the covenant of the law, then the law had no meaning other than good words to live by!

 The God of promises is One and only One. Grace came as a gift to whosoever has the faith to reach out and receive it.

 The Giver is everything and the receiver is nothing.

 God the Father is the Bestower of the free gift to this entire world, and because He worked His Grace through His Son, is all we need to know.

 Is the Law then against the promises of God?

 *****Gal 3:21  Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 

 If God was the author of both the law and the promises, how can they be an opposition.

 The Apostle answers: If the law had given life, then there would be no need for the promises.

 Life was forfeited by sin, by breaking the law came death!

 The law was only words and rules!

 The law only injected the idea of behavior into the mind of man!

 As the descendants of Adam and Eve all we know is to rebel against the laws of God.

 The law demands obedience, but it leaves us on our own to comply or not to comply.

 The Lord Jesus Christ was the only person who fulfilled the covenant of the law between God and mankind.

 Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

 God had to poor Himself into the flesh of a man and then die to accomplish this for us.

 Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

 It is the life of Jesus, that is now our standard for living, and not any law!

 *****Gal 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 

 If we have a Bible written according to "Received Text" then that Bible will teach us that we are all sinners.

 That word concluded means: "leaves no means to escape".

 God says if we search all the Scriptures, we will find no other way to please God beyond 'Grace".

 This verse shows us all, that there is no other way to get to Heaven except by the "Grace of God"!

 Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 

 From the time we are born till the time we die, we are all lawbreakers and all under the penalty of sin!

 In fact, we are all as prisoners under solitary confinement as in a dungeon with no hope for life outside that cell.

 The one purpose the law had was, to encourage all mankind to seek Jesus Christ, that is, righteousness by "Faith".

 When we believe the work that Jesus did for our salvation, then Jesus will judge us righteous and each believer becomes a "partaker of the Divine nature of God!

 Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

 Before the Lord Jesus paid the price required for our sin, His blood, we had no means to become righteous in the eyes of God.

 We can see it took the Apostle Paul some time to straighten this church out after they had received some False teachings in their midst.

 Faith in Christ frees us from the penalties of the law.

Faith in Christ makes us the children of God.

Faith in Christ makes us one with God.

Faith in Christ makes us heirs to the promises of God.

 *****Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 

Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 

Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

 In a real sense, the law is a prison for all mankind!

 We can all understand the full "Gospel" revelation of salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

 The law is nothing more than a prison that binds us.

 1) The law shows us exactly where we fail.

The law shows us exactly where we come short in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

 The laws tell us to do this and we in rebellion do that.

 It is like a speed limit sign. When we pass that set speed we are breaking the law. It is really very simple to understand, and we only have to do it one time.

 2) The law accuses and condemns us.

 Just as soon as we break the law, we are charged for it.

 The law is in black and white and there are no gray areas.

 We cannot say we did not break the law because that just drives us deeper into sin.

 Breaking the law leads to a life of conviction.

 There is no way we can know how many are running from the law today because they know they are guilty.

 3) The law has no life and no power to deliver anyone from the punishment due him.

 The law cannot deliver anyone from their sin.

 The bond to the law is perpetual. That person is guilty until the day they die, and the punishment is established.

 The only hope for man is for someone to appear with the power to release him before he faces that judgment.

 That someone has appeared, and His name is Jesus.

 We who need to be set free must accept His deliverance.

 The choice is ours! We can accept Him, or we can reject Him.

 If we do not believe that Jesus has the power to free us from our bondage then He will not!

 It is only "faith" that can give us the answer!

 The law was nothing more than a Schoolmaster, or a Guardian, to lead us to know that we need Christ.

 In the day of Paul, the Guardian was a trusted slave who had one job and that was to deliver the child they cared for to the Schoolmaster, then at the end of the day he would bring that child back to safety.

 This is what the law was supposed to do but the law had no power to do this.

 The law shows us that we cannot obtain righteousness by ourselves.

 We need to look to Jesus Christ, and we can be justified by our faith.

 Only, ONLY Jesus Christ can bring us face to face with God on good terms, the terms of Grace.

 The law can only take us to bondage!

 The law only points to us as the children of the Devil.

 Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

Joh 8:45  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 

 *****Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 

Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 

 How do we know that we are justified by faith, and not by the law, and not by doing the best we can?

 Because faith makes us the children of God!

 Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 

Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

 God is stirred to adopt us because of the work of His Son.

 Faith causes us to focus on the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ.

 God will accept everyone who focuses on His Son Jesus.

 God will not accept those who reject His Son Jesus.

 This is exactly what the Scriptures say, so why are so many in this world confused? False Teaching and False Preaching.

 When we honor the Son of God, God is well pleased!

 When we say the word righteousness then, we are talking about the Lord Jesus Christ.

 By believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, we become the children of God, and our Baptism was the sign of this relationship, though Baptism is not a requirement for our salvation.

 Baptism would be one of the first works we would do after our salvation.

 Once the Schoolmaster is no longer needed it is the life of Jesus Christ that becomes our Schoolmaster.

 Jesus is the pattern of what every person should be!

 When we give our faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, God clothes us in the righteousness of His Son until the day we receive our glorified bodies.

 When God looks down on us from Heaven, He only sees the righteousness of His Son, and He accepts us as His own children.

 If we belong to Jesus Christ, if we are a part of Him, who is the promised Seed, then we are the seed of Abraham. We are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham.

 We can call this adoption because we are placed as sons and daughters. After all, Jesus is the Son of God.

 We should understand that our Heavenly Father has complete power over His children as long as He lives, and He can never die.

 Adoption is a serious thing!

 Adoption is a permanent thing!

 Those who are adopted have all the rights of Jesus Christ the only Son of God.

 Those who are adopted have lost all rights in their old family and therefore a "new person", so new that old debts and obligations connected with their former family are canceled out and abolished as if they never existed.

 This is the meaning of being adopted into the family of God.

 We have a new relationship with God.

 Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 

Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

 We have a new Father!

 Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

 We have a special relationship with all our other brothers and sisters.

 Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 

Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 

Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 

 We just become a new person.

 Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 

Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

 We are ready to meet the One who gave us all these things when He died on Mount Calvary and then arose from that death.

 1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

 *****Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Our faith in Jesus Christ makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. We are one in Christ.

We are all together the Bride of Christ.

We all stand on equal footing at the feet of Christ!

The Lord Jesus Christ reaches out and embraces every believer, and it does not matter that we are so different from Him.

He treats us as His equal though we can never be His equal!

When we look at other believers, we know to treat them as our equals, and we all are equal.

When we look at other believers, we should be able to see the righteousness of Christ in them as God the Father sees in us.

We pay no attention to the color of their skin, their nationality, their sex, their social status, or any other difference.

Psa 119:63  I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. 

*****Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

To be justified by faith we become heirs of the promises to Abraham!

Abraham was to receive God's blessings which include God's acceptance, God's righteousness, and eternal life in the New Heaven and the New Earth as a child of God.

Amen